The interdisciplinary program in Molecular and Biochemical Nutrition will provide training for pre-doctoral candidates in the concepts, techniques and implementation of molecular and biochemical metabolic studies. This training program aims to cultivate independent and original thinking, and to provide for development of scholarship and skills in research, teaching and professional service. The program is designed to attract and nurture qualified candidates from all sections of society, and will emphasize the metabolism of nutrients and phytochemicals, metabolic regulation, and the mechanisms of nutrient and phytochemical actions in humans and mammals that serve as human models. Program faculty are well suited for this training mission through their multidisciplinary expertise in the techniques of biochemistry, molecular biology, analytical biochemistry, cell biology, clinical studies, and genomics; and through their well-funded research programs that study metabolic problems focused on human metabolism, metabolism-related diseases, and mechanisms of nutrient and phytochemical action. In addition, the College of Natural Resources and the California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources have committed substantial funds to develop a Center for Nutritional Genomics (which includes genomics and bioinformatics facilities). This effort is led by members of the Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology, the "home-base" for this training program, and offers exciting new training opportunities. The interdepartmental, interdisciplinary training program in Molecular and Biochemical Nutrition is distinctive on the Berkeley campus: it is the only program devoted to metabolic biochemistry/molecular biology in higher vertebrates. Thus, the nature of the program, the faculty, the resources, and the environment all offer fertile and unique opportunities for sophisticated interdisciplinary training in metabolic studies.